Weeks 17 & 18: Season Words

For the previous two weeks on Season Words blog, Mark wrote about the seventeenth and eighteenth weeks of the year. Week 17 (April 22-28) coincided with the Solar Term, Grain Rain, and includes the two micro-seasons, “First Reeds Sprout” at the beginning and “Last Frost, Rice Seedlings Grow” at the end.

He goes on to discuss what damage frost can do to young plants depending on the temperature when the frost occurs. From a light frost to a heavy frost, it is important to farmers to calculate the last frost day based on historical weather data to predict future weather patterns for spring planting and the protection of young seedlings; however, those predictions aren’t always accurate.

Mark also shared haiku by several haiku masters, who wrote haiku referencing frost or last snow before inviting his readers to write haiku of their own referencing last snow or last frost.

This pedometer geek poet wrote the following haiku:

last frost…

we can finally plant

the canna lily tubers

~Nancy Brady, 2024

the snow mingles

with the apple blossom petals

–late spring

~Nancy Brady, 2024

To read the whole informative blog, check out https://seasonwords.com/2024/04/26/week-17-last-frost/ and to read other readers’ haiku, check out the comments at the end of Mark’s blog.

In the following week, Mark writes about the eighteenth week of the year, which still is part of the Solar Term, Grain Rain. During this week (April 29-May 4), the micro-season, “Peonies Bloom” occurs.

Mark writes about the peony and the fact that in China the peony (the “King of Flowers”) is the most popular flower. In polling it came out on top for the flower that citizens would choose as their national (flower) symbol.

In his post, Mark also mentions the ancient Celtic calendar divides the year into eight parts, and the four major divisions are known as Quarter Days (the equinoxes and solstices), and midway between them are Cross-quarter Days. He then went on to say that on or near May 1 is the Cross-quarter day between the spring equinox and the summer solstice. It is known as May Day or Beltane. The next Quarter Day is known as Midsummer and occurs on the summer solstice. To read more about them, check out https://seasonwords.com/2024/05/03/week-18-peonies-bloom/

Per usual, after discussing the various kigo associated with this time of year, Mark shared haiku by haiku masters  Basho, Buson, Issa (he may be my favorite haiku master, but I digress), and Reichhold (a modern haiku master) before inviting his readers to write haiku referencing a seasonal flower near you.

This pedometer geek poet wrote the following haiku:

grandma’s grave…

her peonies

in bloom

~Nancy Brady, 2017

Beltane…

hyacinths’ blossoms sway

in the breeze

~Nancy Brady, 2024

breathing in the scent

of hyacinths on the wind

–May Day

~Nancy Brady, 2024

One of my friends, who is also a haiku poet (and an excellent one at that), made the suggestion on my second haiku, which was written in an off-the-cuff manner. She suggested removing the word hyacinths, and her edit improves the haiku by making this haiku universal. So, with thanks to Eavonka, here is that version of the haiku:

Beltane…

blossoms sway

in the breeze

~Nancy Brady, 2024

To read all the haiku written to Mark’s prompt, check out the comments at the end of last week’s blog.

Haiku Happenings: Asahi Haikuist Network

This pedometer geek poet has not submitted to the Asahi Haikuist Network is a long time. David McMurray was one of the first editors to ever publish any haiku written by me.

For the week of April 24, 2024, David chose one of the haiku that this pedometer geek poet had submitted about the greening of spring. It is as follows:

spring afternoon
the first haircut
of the greening grass

~Nancy Brady, 2024

Thanks, David, for selecting this haiku for inclusion in the Asahi Haikuist Network. I appreciate it.

Haiku Happenings: Failed Haiku, Issue 99

While away visiting my son and his family for a few days, the senryu-based journal, Failed Haiku #99 was published. This pedometer geek poet knew that the editor, Bryan Rickert, had chosen a few of this poet’s senryu for inclusion, but figured the issue would be published on the first of May so it was a pleasant surprise (as I began to wade through all the emails that had accumulated in my inbox over the past week) to discover it was already out by the time I arrived home.

This pedometer geek had the following senryu for inclusion in this issue, and they are as follows:

yard sign
local honey for sale
–red light district

leap year
making February
even longer
Nancy Brady, 2024

Thanks, Bryan, for accepting these senryu for inclusion; I appreciate it.

As April’s Million Mile Month concluded, this pedometer geek barely eked out the hundred miles I challenged myself. The global community only managed 422,076 miles, but Healthcode.org has another Million Mile Month in May, and this pedometer geek will be participating. Consider joining all the other participants and me.

Week 15 & 16: Season Words and National Poetry Month

Last week Mark’s blog, Season Words, was all about Week 15 of the year (April 8-14), and the micro-season, Wild Geese Fly North. Without going into much detail, as this pedometer geek normally would, check out the link: https://seasonwords.com/2024/04/12/week-15-wild-geese-fly-north/

Per usual, though, Mark also shared haiku poetry from various haiku masters (Buson, Issa, etc.) as well as invited readers to post haiku referencing seasonal things that are leaving.

This pedometer geek poet wrote the following:

heading south

to plant geraniums on parents’ graves

–tomb sweeping day

~Nancy Brady, 2024

white pelicans depart

for the shores of Lake Erie

–Superstorm Sandy refugees

~Nancy Brady, 2024

are the birds

coming or going?

–warbler flyway

~Nancy Brady, 2024

To read all the other poets’ haiku or senryu, check out the comments at the end of the blog.

Today, Mark’s weekly post on Season Words is about Week 16 of the year (April 15-21), in which the Solar Term, Clear and Bright, ends and the Solar Term, Grain Rain, begins. During this week, there are two micro-seasons, “First Rainbows” and “First Reeds Sprout.”

Mark’s emphasis was on the Solar Term of Grain Rain, which is the sixth Solar Term of the Year as well as the sixth Solar Term of Spring. The Chinese name for this season is Guyu, which means “Grain crops grow fast because of rain.”

Because of the micro-season, “First Rainbows” Mark discusses how rainbows form before getting into the haiku seasonal words, known as kigo. Some of the kigo he mentions are spring thunder, spring rain, first rainbows, and raindrops before sharing some haiku from Basho, Buson, Issa, and Reichhold.

Mark also invites his readers to post haiku or senryu referencing spring rains.

This pedometer geek poet wrote the following haiku:

spring showers…

a tiny rainbow glistens

in each droplet

~Nancy Brady, 2024

chalk rainbow

washed off sidewalk

–spring thunderstorm

~Nancy Brady, 2022

greening green…

raindrops mix

with crab-apple blossoms

~Nancy Brady, 2024

To read all of the Mark’s blog, check out https://seasonwords.com/2024/04/19/week-16-first-rainbows/

To read or write haiku, check out the comments at the end of the post.

In other happenings, April is Healthcode.org’s Million Mile Month, and this pedometer geek has logged 51 miles through April 15. With another 15 days to go, I hope to exceed my goal of 100 miles. The global community has only achieved 223,316 miles with the state of Texas leading the way with over 124,000 miles. The Million Mile Month originated in Texas, but there are participants from all over. However, anyone can join in at any time, and there are so many ways to get miles from running to walking to swimming to other activities like yoga. Check it out at  https://app.healthcode.org

It is also National Poetry Month, and this pedometer geek poet has written quite a few poems. Some have been haiku, but many have been free verse poems. Some are serious poems, but many are sillier poems because of the prompts. Perhaps, a few of the poems will be shared on this blog before the month is out.

For now, this pedometer geek has to get outside and put some miles on the pedometer.

Totality: A Rengay

Totality

Melissa LeMay and this pedometer geek poet wrote our second rengay together called Totality. Click the link, Mom With a Blog, to read it more easily.

Thanks, Melissa, for this collaboration; it was fun.

Haiku Happenings: Enchanted Garden 7 “Moments in the Garden”

This week the latest installment of the online journal, Enchanted Garden, which is edited by Steliana Cristina Voicu, was published. It was the one-year anniversary of this journal, and Steliana requested that the submissions were to have been previously published and fit within the theme of moments in the garden.

As of April 10, Enchanted Garden Issue 7: Moments in the Garden was published. Haiku poets from around the world had haiku, haiga, and tanka published in both English and Romanian along with the journal or contest where the poem was originally published.

This pedometer geek poet had the following haiku selected for inclusion:

the can-can…

peonies show off

their crinolines

–Stardust: Poetry With a Little Sparkle, 

Issue #78, June 2023

Can-can…

Bujorii își arată

crinolinele

Nancy Brady, USA

Thanks, Steliana, for selecting this haiku for inclusion in your special anniversary issue. It is truly appreciated, and I am proud to be a part of your celebratory issue. To read all the outstanding poems, check out https://enchanted-garden-haiku.blogspot.com/2024/04/enchanted-garden-issue-7-moments-in.html

Million Mile Month and National Poetry Month

The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step. That’s how this pedometer geek first got involved in Healthcode.org’s Million Mile Month in which the global community of walkers, runners, swimmers, and other healthy activity participants works to accumulate a million miles (or more) of activities in the month of April.

This pedometer geek started participating in the Million Mile Month in 2015 at the urging of a friend, who lives in Austin, Texas. A year or two later, I started working toward walking 1000 miles in a year at the urging of another friend, who lives in the UK. (Friends don’t let friends walk alone, but I digress.) Of course, I have worn a pedometer of some sort since 2001 with the goal of 10,000 steps per day, but I admit I haven’t always accomplished it.

I have continued to join up each April since 2015, and this year happens to be the tenth anniversary of the Million Mile Month, or so the site indicates. Per usual, anyone can join in the fun, and it’s easy. Just check out https://healthcode.org for details. Join me, won’t you? This year, this pedometer geek has set a goal of 100 miles, but any goal is good.

With the first week finished, this pedometer geek has completed a little more than 25 miles, but there is still time to join in and plenty of ways to get those miles.

In other news, April is National Poetry Month, and there are plenty of poetry-related events going on. Many poets are attempting to write a poem every day, and there are poetry readings planned.

As the month started, the Haiku Foundation’s weekly column, Haiku Dialogue, was published with the last of prompts on Migration by the guest editor, Carole MacRury. This last prompt was Internal Migration, which is moving within the country.

Carole chose haiku from the community of haiku poets around the globe. The poets hail from Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, New Zealand, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom (Wales and England mentioned specifically), and the United States (nineteen states mentioned specifically).

My thanks to Carole MacRury for including one of the haiku by this pedometer geek, and it is as follows:

western reserve…
moving over to let others
on the highway

~Nancy Brady, 2024

Having lived (and worked) in various cities in Ohio all of my life, I have discovered (or re-discovered) that there are differences between the northern half and the southern half of Ohio.

The northern half, especially near Lake Erie, was settled out of New England, particularly Connecticut, and is called the Western Reserve. Part of the Western Reserve called the Firelands was given to the citizens of Connecticut in reparation for being burnt out during the Revolutionary War. Many of the cities and villages (there are no towns in Ohio, but I digress) in the Firelands have names that can also be found in Connecticut.

The southern half of the state was settled out of the Appalachian region (Virginia and Kentucky) and its culture dominates. The two cultures are very different, and having lived first in the northern half, then moved down and lived there for many years, I learned to navigate the differences (including that drivers had to fend for themselves when merging onto the interstate). Returning north was a breath of fresh air.

To read all of the haiku from this week’s column, check out https://thehaikufoundation.org/haiku-dialogue-migration-internal-migration-long-list/ and with my delay in posting this blog, even the short list with those haiku commented upon can be found on https://thehaikufoundation.org too.

Thanks again, Carole, for choosing one of my haiku. I really appreciated it.

Week 14: Season Words–“Swallows Return”

This week at Season Words, Mark wrote about the fourteenth week of the year (April 1-7), in which the Solar Term Spring Equinox ends and the Solar Term Clear and Bright begins. During this week, there are (parts) of two micro-seasons, “Distant Thunder” and “Swallows Return” as well.

The fifth Solar Term of the year (as well as the fifth Solar Term of spring) is Clear and Bright. Qingming is the Chinese name for this season, which is the season when people pause to honor their ancestors. The Qingming Festival occurs on April 4, and it focuses on remembering those who have passed.

Mark continues with more about the Qingming Festival itself before exploring the cycles that are seen within the 72-seasons calendar that was established by the Japanese astronomer, Shibukawa Shunkai, in 1685. To read more about cyclical comings and goings as well as the other information imparted by Mark, check out the whole blog here: https://seasonwords.com/2024/04/05/week-14-swallows-return/

Mark also provides information (with a link to a NASA article) about the solar eclipse before going into haiku and kigo for this period of time including sharing some haiku by some haiku masters, past and present. The haiku of Reichhold and Kerouac share space with Buson, Basho, and others.

Per usual, Mark invites his readers to share some haiku that they have written. This week’s prompt is to write a haiku or senryu referencing the arrival of seasonal object. He indicated that it could be a plant, animal, weather, or just about anything else.

For the prompt, this pedometer geek poet wrote the following haiku:

the alignment

of sun, moon, and earth

–syzygy

~Nancy Brady, 2024

bikini-clad coeds spread

their beach towels

–spring break

~Nancy Brady, 2024

spring migration…

great blues return

to Erie’s shores

~Nancy Brady, 2024

I must admit that all of them were written in my current off-the-cuff haiku style, with little to no editing. Knowing myself, there may be some editing before I consider them finished.

To read all the haiku by other readers (and haiku poets) of Mark’s blog, check out the comments at the end of his blog. They are always worth reading, and some haiku spark discussions of their own.

Happy Solar Eclipse to all! May we have the perfect weather for viewing while keeping our eyes safe!

Easter Morning: Rengay With Melissa LeMay

Easter morning

What a fun rengay written with poet Melissa LeMay, AKA Mom With a Blog!

Week 13: Season Words–“First Cherry Blossoms”

This week over at Season Words, Mark blogs about the thirteenth week of the year (March 25-March 31). It is still the Solar Term of Spring Equinox, and it begins the micro-season, “First Cherry Blossoms.” During this time, many cherry trees are in bloom, and Mark includes a map of the Cherry Blossom Forecast for 2024. This is put out by the Japan Meteorological Corporation for the best hanami (flower viewing). Of course the map only shows places in Japan, but check out the map at https://seasonwords.com/2024/03/29/week-13-first-cherry-blossoms/ as well as reading all of Mark’s blog. Soon, cherry blossoms will be seen everywhere, but only briefly.

Mark goes on to talk about the many names of March’s full moon, which this year was March 25. The traditional name is The Worm Moon, but depending on the indigenous people, there are other traditional names for the full moon. The Obijwe call it the Sugar Moon; the Pueblo call it the Wind Strong Moon, and the Cree call it the Goose Moon. In the Christian tradition, the full moon is called Lenten Moon, if it occurs prior to the spring equinox, and the Paschal Moon if it occurs after the spring equinox as it did this year.

With that, Mark shared haiku from Basho, Buson, Issa, Reichhold, and Soin. Each of them used cherry blossoms or cherry blooms in their haiku. He then invited his readers to share haiku referencing cherry blossoms.

This pedometer geek poet wrote the following haiku, some of which have been previously published:

first steps…                                                             

catching cherry blossoms                                        

in chubby fist

~Nancy Brady, 2017 Honorary Mention, Polish International Haiku Competition, 2017

cherry blossoms whirl…                      

young girl freed                                 

of training wheels

~Nancy Brady, 2017 Honorary Mention, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, 2017

a boutonnière of cherry blossoms

pinned to her tux

 –spring gala 

~Nancy Brady, 2023 Honorary Mention, Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival, 2023

Paschal Moon

cherry blossoms petals caught

in the Easter bunny’s fur

~Nancy Brady, 2024

To read all the haiku written by some of his readers, check out the comments at the end of Mark’s Season Words blog. Mark welcomes both new readers and new poets.